Africa Investment Forum Opens In Accra

About 600 participants, including some heads of state from West Africa and the Commonwealth, as well as investors from all over the world, will today throng the Accra International Conference Centre for the Africa Investment Forum 2012, to exchange notes on the opportunity to access the growing regional market in a continent of one billion people.

The forum will bring together business and government leaders from Africa, Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, to work towards this goal.

Speakers will include heads of government, ministers and senior officials, as well as chairpersons and chief executives of businesses, investment funds and other industries.

The forum, expected to be opened by President John Evans Atta Mills, will showcase the best investment opportunities that Africa and the ECOWAS region have to offer.

It presents a platform for investors and project partners to explore and discuss investment opportunities with ECOWAS heads of state.

The forum will also offer networking opportunities and the space to discuss prospects in key sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, banking and financial services, tourism, manufacturing, energy, oil and gas.

Under the theme, ‘Partnering with ECOWAS to accelerate investment’ the two-day high-profile event is expected to provide an unprecedented opportunity for senior policy-makers, corporate executives, investors and investment promotion agencies to meet and interact through a series of sessions, networking and social events.

The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), is hosting the forum, which is a build on the last forum held in Accra in 2010.

Among others, the forum will feature a project portfolio of investment proposals that are looking for funding, equity or business partners in the region. The Project Exchange Centre will enable participants to meet with potential investors, investment bankers, and potential knowledge partners to present their projects.

According to the programme, project summaries will be available in advance to interested investors and partners, and project holders will be available for one-to-one meetings. Projects will be organized by country and sector and include business plans with identified requirements in terms of investment required, technical and knowledge based requirements.

“For potential investors, this is an opportunity to establish strong partnerships and explore investment opportunities in key sectors such as ICT, Financial services, tourism, infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing and the environment,” says George Aboagye, Chief Executive Officer of GIPC.

Commenting ahead of the event, President J.E.A Mills said Africa and its regions are showing strong economic growth with many countries achieving more than five per cent per annum and a growing middle-class with rising purchasing power, adding that “the time is now ripe build a bigger African internal market driven by new investment”.

According to McKinsey, a global business advisor, Africa in 2020 would have a collective GDP of $2.6 trillion and consumer spending power of $1.4 trillion, adding, the opportunity this represents for international investors is immense.

“CBC is determined to bring together the public and private sector in order to enable Africa capitalizes on this potential.

The image of Africa as a destination for investment has been transformed and the number of emerging market funds with African interests has soared,” Dr Mohan Kaul, Co-chair of CBC, said.

“With the increasing volatility of the Western Markets, Africa is now increasing becoming a preferred investment destination of choice. A catalyst for this has also been the progress made towards regional integration to create larger markets, enhanced competitiveness and improving infrastructure, therefore it follow that this AIF will focus on partnerships with ECOWAS to mobilize investment,” he added.

Minister for Trade and Industry, Hannah Tetteh, said her ministry’s vision is to establish Ghana as a major manufacturing, value-added, financial and commercial hub in West Africa by 2015,” pointing out that “we are developing a vibrant, technology-driven, liberalized and competitive trade and industrial sector that significantly contributes to economic growth and employment creation”.

“We are working closely with our ECOWAS neighbours to bolster regional integration and enable investors to access the markets of North, West and Central Africa from Ghana. We have projects ready for investments that are designed to push this process forward, “he added.

For GIPC Chairman, Ishmael Yamson, the forum will promote investment in Ghana and across the ECOWAS region and will contribute to the creation of jobs and prosperity for a vibrant and growing part of Africa, “rich with potential that we are only just beginning to access”.

He added: “2012 will be the year where we capitalize on this achievement and the Africa, Investment Forum is the ideal opportunity to showcase the fantastic prospect that Ghana and ECOWAS represents for anyone wishing to do business here.”

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RALLAND MILLER

Maat, seeing the world as one. “Hurray” An eighteenth century French academician of the highest esteem in European academic circles once wrote: There are a people now forgotten discovered while others were yet barbarians, the elements of the arts and sciences. A race of men now rejected for their black skin and wooly hair founded on the study of the laws of nature those civil and religious systems which still govern the universe. “Ruins of Empire” by Count C. F. Volney.

From the depths of the ancient ruins of the Cape Coast Afrika Enslavement castle emanated the inspiration for creating designs which will in no time create a sensation in our world of today Afriakn life. By intelligently leveraging cutting edge technology, PHAAD designs will harness the power of the computer sublimation to allow great ancient designs to come out which can be used for carpets, clothing, cloth curtains, table cloths, pencils, etc.
The source of the designs is from Ghana so the company will set up as (PHAAD) Pan Afrikan Ancestors Historical designs
and will have a store front in all the ten regions of Ghana as well as a comprehensive website that allows ordering to occur anywhere in the world. The products ordered will have the source from Cape Coast the colonial capital of the Gold Cost today Ghana before being moved to Accra.
Imagine the ability to buy about thousand patented Africa designs for your work from the comfort of your home which has a feel of the mysterious past coupled with the ability to buy cloths and other materials with your preferred design. Our designs live a lasting impression and captivates the eyes so when used can send your company sales sky rocketing.
PRODUCT
The designs will offer customers mostly industries a variety of options for their production and a platform to showcase those products anywhere in the world. The majority of orders will be for digitized designs, however other products such as cloth and clothing with the designs. The company will ensure that the companies buying the designs and producing items with these designs are having strong environmental friendly policies before working with them. The company has already identified one company in Austria, two in Taiwan and one in the United States of America who will like two produce 100 cloth designs using PHAAD as the trademark and 15 wholesale and retail shops in Ghana for marketing the designs.
COMPETITIVE EDGE
PHAAD designs have four sustainable competitive edges to assist them in market penetration. The first is a gargantuan catalog of graphic images of designs. The designs bought will be unique for every Company and cannot be seen being imitated anywhere. The designs are unique and attractive. The company being in partnership with four strong companies also ensures its sustainability. There is strict intellectual property protection to curb the stealing of our designs by competing companies.
Management
PHAAD designs! Will be led by Nana Kweku Egyir Gyepi (III) the main is the brain behind the designs. Des igning came naturally to him from infancy and he spent most of time working on these designs and now he is having about 12000 different designs and many more to come . He was once a fashion designer for clothing and this gave him valuable insight into the market, the products, and the customer preferences and desires. Upon ascending the throne in the year 1991 he did extensive travelling all over the world and upon this experience that he provided useful business and professional contacts within production companies in three different continents that he is currently technology leveraging. Nana Gyepi will use his designing skills, his technological business contacts, and his previous clothing industry experience to make PHAAD designs profitable. Sales forecasts indicate that PHAAD designs! Will achieve sterling sales for years for year two and three respectively. Even sales will increase latter when the designs become a household name and net profit will sky rocket.

Chart: Highlights

Objectives
• To become known as the premier Afrika cloth designing company in Cape Coast Ghana West Africa with about 12000 unique patented designs for the World.
• To achieve profitability in 6 months.
• Design and implement strict financial controls to help ensure success.
Mission Statement
PHAAD designs mission is to offer the best in patented designs for every product and packaging and a new Afrika textile industry producing strictly PHAAD designs. The designs being unique will offer customers the best environmental friendly and unique Afrikan new designs at the best prices.